My youth pastor was actively advocating for the teens in his sermon to engage in actual violence against non-believers. He was talking about how TV and other distractions were taking people away from God, and he wheeled in a tub TV and bashed it to bits, shattering glass everywhere. He then instructed his believers to pick up their bats to destroy things that oppose God. He tried to make it sort of seem 'metaphorical,' but he was absolutely trying to spur a violent mob mentality. It was horrifying. Everyone around me was screaming violent threats against Muslims and other groups. I silently left. And that led me on my path to question my faith and eventually become an atheist.
My mom's family is very religious, like the kind where you can't sing religious songs or pray with family who aren't the same religion as you. We grew up very poor. I started working at age 12 to help pay for my school clothes and supplies. At age 16, I got a fast-food job and was promoted to supervisor a year or so later, which came with a raise. The pastor of the church told my mom that I was sinning because the Bible says that women are subservient to men, so I shouldn't be telling men what to do at work. I asked him to show me where it says that in the Bible.
Collection
[
|
...
]